Mental Health Giveaway Hop – 2 Giveaways

(this post is long and there are 2 giveaway so scroll down)

An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — about one in four adults — suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. When applied to the 2004 U.S. Census residential population estimate for ages 18 and older, this figure translates to 57.7 million people.

Several members of my family including my oldest son suffer from mental illness. I occasionally blog about what we are going through on one of my other blogs. Here is a repost of one of my posts…

I live with mental illness.

There I’ve said it…. finally!

And although it may not be me personally who has the illness I live with it and am affected by it on a very personal level every single day because it is one of my children who suffers from it.

It’s something that I have tried to keep quiet. After all I love my son and would do anything for him. I want him to be happy and I want him to live a good happy productive life. I don’t want others judging him and limiting him. And I definitely don’t want to put all the intimate details of our struggle out their for all to see and mock and judge.

And struggle it has been, one that has been a roller coaster ride of highs and lows for the past four years. For the first year it was something that we were able to keep to ourselves, but as time went on circumstances meant others started to notice something wasn’t quite right. In fact for that first year we didn’t even realize there was something wrong.

In hindsight the clues were all there but we were blinded and didn’t see them for what they were. Even when terms like mood disorder, thought disorder, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar, anxiety, OCD, mania, depression, aspergers, delusions, hallucinations, Tourettes, schizophrenia, psychiatric ward, and a multitude of other terms no parent wants to hear began to be discussed by doctors and specialist I was in denial that such a thing could be our new reality.

Anyone who knows me knows that I do not consider myself to be a good a writer. I run a book blog with a title stating that very clearly.

So why this blog?

Why share portions of our very private life?

Because I was touched by a recent talk given by Elder Jeffrey R Holland. That talk titled Like A Broken Vessel inspired me to start this blog. As I once again sat in the emergency room earlier this month wondering how we had once again found ourselves in unwanted circumstances I flipped on the television and heard these word come from a servant of the Lord:

In that spirit I wish to speak to those who suffer from some form of mental illness or emotional disorder, whether those afflictions be slight or severe, of brief duration or persistent over a lifetime. We sense the complexity of such matters when we hear professionals speak of neuroses and psychoses, of genetic predispositions and chromosome defects, of bipolarity, paranoia, and schizophrenia. However bewildering this all may be, these afflictions are some of the realities of mortal life, and there should be no more shame in acknowledging them than in acknowledging a battle with high blood pressure or the sudden appearance of a malignant tumor.

I’ve come to learn that I’m not alone in this struggle. It may be something I’ve felt too ashamed of to admit and talk about but I’ve come to realize that I am not alone and have no need to be ashamed of the struggle we are going through. I’ve come to recognize the Lord’s hand in my life and feel his love for me. As we’ve passed through this personal, painful refiner’s fire my faith has been increased and my testimony of a loving Heavenly Father has been strengthened.

A close friend has told me I should be writing my experiences down so that I can share them with others. In all honesty that was the last thing I wanted to do for far too long. I wanted to forget what we were going through and focus on other things. Now I wish I’d taken that advice and had started writing things down long before now but better late than never right?

I don’t claim to be an expert or have any of the answers but I have learned a lot in my journey and have decided to share some of our experiences with the hope that I can bring a measure of peace and hope to other who might be going through their own personal struggles.

My Giveaways

Giveaway #1 – A copy of A Promise of Hope by Autumn Stringam + a sample of Q96 (the product that helped Autumn get well). Open to US Only

A Promise of Hope

Some children inherit “the family nose.” Autumn Stringam and her brother Joseph inherited the family bipolar disorder, a severe mental illness that led to their mother’s and grandfather’s suicides. Autumn, at 22, was psychotic and in a psychiatric hospital on suicide watch; Joseph, at 15, was prone to violent episodes so terrifying the family feared for their lives. But after they began taking a nutritional supplement developed by their father and based, incredibly, on a formula given to aggressive hogs–Autumn’s and Joseph’s symptoms disappeared. Today they both lead normal, productive lives.

A Promise of Hope is the personal story of Autumn Stringam’s flight from madness to wellness, all due to the vitamin and mineral supplement that works on the premise that some forms of mental illness are caused by nutritional deficiencies. An honest book that exposes the hidden torment of bipolar disorder, it is the story of a daughter seeking to forgive her mother. A Promise of Hope is also an astonishing scientific account that moves from a kitchen table in Alberta to the treatment offices of a distinguished Harvard pshyciatrist and into the labs of a skeptical medial establishment. It climaxes in a bitter–but eventually triumphant–battle with Health Canada, in which the tiny supplement company is exonerated and praised for saving the lives of thousands of Canadians previously thought lost to mental illness. More than anything, A Promise of Hope is a powerful story and a call for a new understanding of the causes of mental illness and its treatments.

20% of Canadians will experience mental illness in their lifetimes
Over 300,000 Canadians are affected by bipolar disorder (or manic depression)
15% of people with biploar disorder commit suicide
EMPower Plus (Q96), the supplement that worked for Autumn, is being used and studied around the world, reflecting the growing awareness of the role of micronutrients in normal brain function.

Bipolar disorder runs in Autumn Stringam’s family. Autumn and her younger brother unfortunately inherited the mental illness, but recovered through the incredible discovery by her father of a cure that has helped them and thousands of others.

Some children inherit the family nose. Autumn Stringam and her brother Joseph inherited bipolar disorder, a severe mental illness that led to the suicides of their mother and grandfather. Autumn, at 22, was psychotic and in a psychiatric hospital on suicide watch; Joseph, at 15, was prone to violent episodes so terrifying the family feared for their lives. But after they began taking a nutritional supplement developed by their father-and based, incredibly, on a formula given to aggressive hogs-Autumn’s and Joseph’s symptoms disappeared. Today they both lead normal, productive lives.

A Promise of Hopechronicles Autumn Stringam’s personal flight from madness to wellness and also provides an astonishing scientific account of an innovative treatment that moves from a kitchen table in Alberta to the offices of a distinguished Harvard psychiatrist and into the labs of a skeptical medical establishment. Now updated with the groundbreaking results of a clinical trial and with additional content from the perspective of Autumn’s family, A Promise of Hope is a powerful call for a new understanding of the mental illness that affects so many people.

Since 1996 Q Sciences (Truehope) has been dedicated to improving the lives of those with mood disorders and has been successful in helping over 90,000 people transition from prescription drugs that “cover-up” symptoms to high quality vitamin and mineral supplements that address the core biological issues that cause mental illness.

EMPowerplus Q96 is designed to promote mental well-being by providing a broad-based balanced supply of micronutrients needed for healthy brain function and development.

Research increasingly indicates that a lack of vitamins and minerals can lead to increased stress, anxiety, and mood disorders. Q96 is powerful brain food specially formulated to counteract these deficiencies.

A proprietary formula of 36 vitamins and minerals, Q96 delivers nutrients in a dosage that supports mood stability, cognition, and overall brain health.

The Q96® formula has been observed by 39 research scientists in clinical trials at fourteen universities in four countries, and is backed by twenty published studies.

The unique formulation of Q96®, based on specialized technological advances in micronutrient delivery allows the body to rapidly absorb and utilize these essential nutrients for optimum physical and mental health.

Patchwork Reality Through a series of dreams and delusions, Curtis Hansen becomes convinced that he and his wife, Pauline, are part of an intricate game devised for the entertainment of wealthy onlookers. To win, the couple must stay together despite a series of temptations and trials designed to break up their marriage. After playing “The Game” with Curtis for nine arduous years, Pauline makes a shocking discovery. Read the riveting account of her decade in the dark and her return to reality after Curtis is diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

Born and raised in a tiny town in southern Utah, Pauline Hansen met and married her sweetheart, Curtis Hansen, in 1987. They are the parents of five children ranging in age from seventeen to twenty-six. After raising their own children to an independent age, Pauline and Curtis became certified for foster care and enjoyed helping children and families in difficult circumstances. With the publication of Patchwork Reality, they hope to be a source of encouragement and enlightenment for anyone in a similar or related situation. Pauline received an associate degree from Dixie State College in 2004 and currently works as a teacher’s aid in the special education department at their local high school. Patchwork Reality is her first published work. Pauline will be a presenter at the Write Here in Ephraim writer’s conference March 29 at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah.

Comments

Kathy, I would like to commend you for having the courage to open up about your family’s situation. I’ve had some brushes with depression myself, although they weren’t severe enough to require major intervention, such as hospitalization, thank God. Thanks for the two AWESOME giveaways!! : )